


The other man

by elaiel



Series: The Other Man [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Azkaban, Escape, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22851172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elaiel/pseuds/elaiel
Summary: A man sat on the floor; he didn’t look like a wizard. For starters he was wearing black trousers with lots of pockets and black boots that were clearly muggle. Secondly, he had a completely metal left arm with a red star on it.“Rrruuu-uuuh?” Sirius whined.
Series: The Other Man [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771291
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91





	The other man

The dog looked down at the newspaper. The rat sat on the boy’s shoulder. Arthur and Molly’s boy. Friend of Harry. He had to go. He  _ had to go.  _ Walking up to the bars of the door he slid his head between the bars. 

Pushing forwards, the dog’s shoulders reached the bars and he dropped his right shoulder, tilting his stance so his shoulders slid through. The bars connected with every emaciated rib as he slid through, his mind throwing out the sound of a descending scale on a xylophone. The dog let out a snort of laughter, he really was going mad. A dementor floated past the end of the corridor, but it paid the dog no heed.

The corridor he was on was silent. The last inmate except him in these rooms had finally ceased screaming a good few days before and the sounds he had heard some time later suggested the man had died and been removed. His claws clicked on the stone as he padded down the corridor, unnoticed by the floating spectres of evil who guarded and tormented the inmates. 

To his left something shifted, someone moving followed by a rhythmic metallic flutter. He froze. The door to his left was mostly solid metal and he was forced to heave himself up on his back legs to look through the barred opening in the door.

A man sat on the floor; he didn’t look like a wizard. For starters he was wearing black trousers with lots of pockets and black boots that were clearly muggle. Secondly, he had a completely metal left arm with a red star on it. 

_ “Rrruuu-uuuh?”  _ Sirius whined.

The man looked up. His eyes were incredibly blue and almost totally vacant as he gazed at the dog then went back to staring at the wall. Sirius looked round to check for dementors, but the coast was clear and the feeling of dread that waxed and waned with their presence was as minimal as it ever was. He dropped down and resumed his human form. He looked back through the bars.

“Hey!” He hissed. 

The man looked back at him. 

“Who are you?” He whispered.

The man’s brows furrowed. “I…” He paused. “I don’t know.” His head drifted back to stare at the wall again. 

Sirius tried again. “What are you doing here?”

The man looked back at him, and blinked a few times. “Waiting for a handler?” His voice was stilted, as if he wasn’t entirely sure of his answer. He also had an accent, vaguely American Sirius thought.

“Are you a wizard?” Sirius asked hoarsely.

The man didn’t answer, just looked completely confused. Sirius tried a different tack.

“Can you drive a car?”

“Yes.” The man replied instantly.

Definitely a muggle. What in Merlin’s name was the man doing here? Sirius looked at the door, it was just bolted on the outside. Slowly, carefully, Sirius slid back the bolts and opened the door. The man just watched, remaining sitting on the stone ledge as the door opened.

“How long have you been here?” Sirius asked.

“Two hundred, seventy two days.” The man answered instantly.

Sirius blinked. That was very exact. 

“I’m going to turn into a dog.” Sirius told him carefully.

“Okay.” The man said. 

Sirius stared at him. This muggle was weird. Very weird.

“You need to follow me.” He told the man, walking into the cell to make eye contact. “Follow the dog. Do you understand me?”

The man nodded. “You will turn into a dog. Follow you. Follow the dog.”

“You have to move very very quietly.” Sirius said. “Can you do that?”

The man nodded again. “Infiltration and exfiltration skills are high rated.”

Sirius assumed that meant yes. “Okay, follow me.”

He let himself fall into his canine form, immediately turning to look at the man. The man stood, waiting, and as Sirius slunk out of the cell he followed. Sirius padded carefully up the corridor and the man’s posture changed as he shadowed the dog, becoming controlled, measured and, if Sirius was honest, more than a little terrifying. 

Ghosting from shadow to shadow, they slipped through the corridors of Azkaban following Sirius sense of smell until they reached a door. Sirius stared at it and let out an involuntary whine. He could smell this was the final door, the smell of the sea was heavy on the draft of air from under the door, but a heavy lock held the door firmly closed and Sirius was wandless. His companion looked at the lock, reached out with his metal hand and ripped it away from the door. Sirius stared at him. The silent man just waited, the plates of his arm resetting themselves in the metallic flutter Sirius had heard earlier as the door swung slowly open in front of them. Sirius took a deep breath and walked out of the door into the cold night air, the silent man on his heels. 

As they got to the edge of the sea he changed back to human. 

“Can you swim?” He asked.

“Yes.” The man replied.

Waves crashed up over the rocks at their feet, drenching them with spray.

“How well?”

“I can swim for over a day.” The man replied.

Sirius closed his eyes. This man was obviously some kind of american muggle auror; he should just assume the man was capable. He looked back at his new companion.

“Fine.” Sirius told him. “We have a long swim ahead.” 


End file.
